Wish You Were Here? aka The Great Torchwood Escape
by Gruaigrua
Summary: What happened between the Void closing and the Doctor Burning up a sun just to say goodbye. Sequel to ...A Smile from A Veil.
1. Chapter 1

Wish you were here? (Or The Great Torchwood Escape)

"_Hold on_." The Doctor screamed louder than he thought he ever could. His arm out-stretched in a futile gesture of help. There was a good fifteen feet separating him from Rose and even if he stretched out to his fingertips it still wasn't close enough. Rose was risking her life... _Worse_, risking an eternity in the Void – in hell - by switching the lever back on. The pull was so strong, so intense, his shoulder felt like it was dislocating. And there she was clinging by the tips of her fingers. Sheer force of will keeping her there.

And then the crushing inevitable happened. She lost her grip. Turns out he was wrong. He could scream louder. He could see the fear, the terror in her eyes as she was sucked towards the void. If there was any justice, the force of it would rip her body apart and she'd be dead. How desperate was the situation when a violent death is the preferable option?

Rose was hurtling towards the event horizon and he couldn't let her go in there alone. She was giving her life for him. Only fair that he do likewise.

He was on the verge of letting go when there was a flicker in front of the all consuming void. A figure emerging from it? _Impossible!_ No… not emerging. _Appearing_ in front of it. Pete Tyler managed to catch hold of Rose before she was lost … and with one last look, she was gone.

A second later, the pressure pulling him in abated. The void closed and all that was left was a sterile white wall. He couldn't speak. It didn't matter that there was nobody else in the lever room to speak to. He had no voice left, but the rawness of his throat was nothing compared to rawness of his hearts. She was gone. Saved from the void, but gone from him.

Every muscle in his body ached as he walked towards the wall. Maybe there was a chance. A tiny gap… a micro fissure, that's all he needed. The Doctor's plan, of course, had been brilliant, foolproof and finite. He touched the wall, leant into it trying to sense something, _anything_ other than concrete, plaster and paint. But no. It was simply that - a wall. His hearts sank... couldn't even bring himself to cry. He was so far beyond tears. They couldn't do justice to how he felt.

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and walked to the levers. He raised one of them in the vain hope that he might be able to create enough of a gap to follow through to Pete's World. But there was nothing... not even a flicker. He needed the TARDIS up here. Maybe if he hooked her up to the levers... control the power levels so that he didn't cause 2 universes to implode.

Somewhere in the back of his rational mind, he knew this was impossible, but the irrational mind was running the show right now, and the irrational mind wanted to break through the void and get to Pete's World... _Rose's_ World.

The Doctor couldn't understand why his emotions were running so rampant? He _sent_ her there! Put the stupid, ugly, yellow button over her head and sent her away, _without even a proper goodbye_, knowing he'd never see her again. Now he was mourning as if she _had_ been sucked into the void. What had happened in the brief period of time between her return and now to change that? Companions had left him before... It's not as if she was even dead! Not like Adric or Katerina, or Romana, or Sara... Surely he should be relieved, happy, _thrilled beyond belief_ that she was alive and _not_ sucked into hell... but no. He's getting all emotional and irrational and illogical and... he needed to stop and draw breath or he'd do something _galactically _stupid.

Rational mind reasserted itself. He needed to get to the TARDIS and get the hell out of Torchwood for a start. Get a safe distance between himself and this godforsaken place.

While an excellent idea in theory, its execution just became much more difficult with the arrival of 3 well armed soldiers, blocking The Doctor's exit from the Lever Room. They pointed their guns at him, but kept their distance.

"Stay where you are and put your hands where I can see them." One of the soldiers, Corporal Daniels said.

"Or what?" The Doctor said quietly, his throat rasping painfully. Being the well trained soldier that he was, Daniels merely repeated the order but a little louder to show he meant business. The other 2 fanned out so that they were surrounding The Doctor. In no mood to be trifled with, he angrily squared up to Daniels. "You mightn't have got the memo yet, but I've just taken care of your Dalek and Cyberman problem. Remember all those metal monsters that were slaughtering you a few minutes ago?" Daniels stood his ground, keeping the gun trained on the Doctor's chest. "_I. Stopped. Them_." With each word the Doctor stepped towards the gun, almost like he was daring Daniels to use it. "So do you _really_ think you're going to keep me from leaving?"

The Doctor was answered with the butt of a rifle to the back of his head from one of the other soldiers, causing him to drop like a stone. His last thought before the pain overwhelmed him was, "_That'd be a _yes_, then"_.

o0o

The first thing The Doctor became aware of, aside from the pneumatic pain throbbing at the base of his skull, was gentle hands lifting the aforementioned sore head and placing a cold compress on the most painful area. It helped a little. The icy coldness stirred him further into consciousness and he became more aware of his situation. He lay on his side with his arms stretched out in front of him. When he tried to move, he discovered it was restricted due to his hands being cuffed around the railing of the hospital bed he had been laid on. The Doctor made an attempt to sit up, but the same gentle hands guided him back to the pillow and the cold compress.

"You should stay lying down." It was a woman's voice that The Doctor was sure he'd heard before. He struggled to focus on her, but she moved out of his line of sight before the blur became a coherent image. She went to the other side of the bed, the opposite direction to the way the Doctor was faced. He didn't feel up to maneuvering himself around just yet so he listened to what was being said.

"… Look, he's going to be out of it for a while." The woman said. "Fisher nearly took his head off."

"I was ordered to stay with him." Sounded like the soldier who had confronted him in the Lever room. "The cameras are down. We won't be able to keep an eye on you."

"He's securely handcuffed to the bed. You don't have to stay here with me. Go back out and see if you can find any more survivors. That's far more important right now." She sighed. "And I'd still prefer to be out there, tending to people who actually need my help instead of babysitting him."

"You know why you've been assigned to him, Claire." The man's voice replied.

_Claire?_ The Doctor's eyes shot open. _No. Just no… not her! Not Claire Bailey?_

"You're our resident expert on The Doctor."

_Bugger! It _would_ be Claire Bailey!_

"Yeah. _That's me_." Claire sighed. "Seriously, Danno, get out of here, okay?"

"Okay. But I'll check back later." And Daniels left the room.

"Just when I think it can't get any worse!" The Doctor groaned, his voice still hoarse but not as painful.

"Oh don't start!" Claire shook her head.

He sighed. "I wake up tied to a hospital bed… I should have figured it out straight away, really." The Doctor gripped the railing and hauled himself up into a sitting position, finally getting a good look at her. Straight, dark hair, blue eyes that looked very tired. She looked older than their last encounter which was less than a year ago. She was dressed in pale blue medical scrubs with a white labcoat. Neither looking particularly pristine.

"Lie back down, please." Claire approached him. The Doctor wondered if he could manoeuvre himself to get a good kick in and start his escape master plan.

"Or what, you'll kill me?"

"If the soldiers outside think that you're well enough, they'll haul you out of here, put you in a research cell and you don't even want to know what they could do to you down there."

"Could it be worse than attempting to completely drain me of my blood and kill me, forcing a regeneration?" He snapped, reminding her of what she attempted the last time they'd met.

"Do you _really_ want to find out?" Claire answered, daring him to make another smart answer. She adjusted the back of the bed so he could lean back against it and carefully placed the cold pack to his head without either saying another word.

"So you're the Torchwood expert on _me_?" The Doctor asked, breaking the brief silence.

"I'm the only person who's had first hand experience with you." Claire explained. "As limited as it was, that automatically made me a VIP around here."

"Well aren't you _special_." The Doctor didn't care how snide it sounded.

Before Claire could answer him, the door opened. It was Captain Fisher. She pushed the Doctor back down into a lying position and pulled a small torch out of her pocket. She shone it in the Doctor's eye as the soldier approached the bed.

"How's the patient, Dr Bailey?" He asked.

"Still unconscious." Claire lied. The Doctor took that as his cue to close his eyes, but he couldn't help but wonder what she was playing at.

Fisher went over for a closer look. "I found Daniels away from his post." The Doctor could feel Fisher's warm breath on his face. "He's supposed to be standing guard in the room with you. A commodity like the Doctor should not be left unguarded."

"And what's he going to do in the condition he's in? I'm not sure if he'll even wake up. You shouldn't have hit him like that. He's not human, remember."

"A Tazer wouldn't have worked if that's what you're thinking." Fisher shrugged. "You read the PM's report about the Sycorax. The Doctor, here, wasn't affected by the whip. And I was under orders to secure him."

"Cracked skull will do that every time." Claire muttered. She decided to change the subject, get Fisher away from the ever-unpredictable Doctor. "Did you find anyone else alive?"

"Not so far." Fisher replied. "We're still looking, though. It's a big building. The good news is we've found no more Cybermen or Daleks either"

"And that's why Daniels needs to be out there, in case there _are_ some lurking in dark corners, not in here wasting his time watching me and an unconscious patient."

"Al_right_, Claire! Point taken." Fisher laughed. "But the second he comes around I want to know."

"Sure. No problem." Claire ushered him out the door. "Insufferable prat."

"Your pants are on fire, Dr Bailey." The Doctor said, still keeping his eyes closed.

"Well, I'm sure your fire extinguishing sidekick will be here in a moment to put it out."

Claire's comment was like a punch to the gut. _Oh Rose_. "No she won't." the Doctor said quietly. "Rose is… Rose is gone." It took every ounce of his resolve not to break down. He couldn't. Not in front of _her_.

Claire's face dropped "Oh no…" She rubbed her eyes and scraped her hair back off her face. "Too many people gone today." She sounded like she was speaking more to herself than to the Doctor. "Too many good people." She took a deep breath and turned to face the Doctor, the same emotional turmoil he was feeling etched on her face. " And it has to stop." She approached the Doctor, searching in her lab coat pocket. "I've had enough. No more… This ends now!"

The Doctor knew all Claire had to do was give him one injection and he'd be dead. He began to struggle with the handcuffs, but it was a futile exercise. There was no escape.


	2. Chapter 2

Because of the way his hands were cuffed through the railing of the hospital bed, The Doctor was very limited in his movements. If he backed away any further, he'd dislocate his shoulders, which wouldn't help him escape, as Claire Bailey moved in on him. The Doctor was convinced that she was about to kill him with a lethal injection. "Claire, _please_!" He didn't care how desperate he sounded. "Don't do it!"

"What_?"_ She stepped back from him, a puzzled look on her face. And then the penny dropped. "You thought I was going to kill you." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. "I shouldn't be surprised, really… going on my past form." She took her hand from her pocket to reveal what she had been searching for. "I was giving you this." She handed him his sonic screwdriver. "I took it before Fisher could get his hands on it. I figured if it can destroy computer data, it could probably open handcuffs... like some sort of super, space age, Swiss Army knife."

The Doctor just stared at her, utterly confused. "I must be _very badly_ concussed. You're letting me go?" Claire nodded, indicating a _'yes'_. "_Why?_"

"Because I'm not the cold blooded, murdering killer you think I am." She said through gritted teeth. "I did the most terrible thing to you. And no words will _ever_ be enough to express how sorry I am for that. But getting you out of Torchwood may go some way towards evening the score."

"You've been protecting me since I was brought in here, haven't you." The Doctor finally looked her in the eye and could see the genuine regret for Claire's past actions towards him. "You've lied to your friends for me… risked your job."

"After what happened here today, I honestly can't see myself turning up for work, bright and early at 9 am, tomorrow."

The Doctor played with the settings on the sonic screwdriver and opened the cuffs. He flexed his muscles and rubbed his sore wrists. Relishing his freedom, he momentarily forgot how he'd ended up in a hospital bed in the first place and stood up. _Bad idea… very bad idea_. The room began to spin around him. It was only Claire's fast movement that prevented him from falling to the ground. He gratefully accepted her help in lying him back on the bed.

"That would be the concussion." Claire sighed, handing him a glass of water. " We're on basic power here so I haven't been able to give you a scan or x-ray to see how bad it is." She pulled her stool over beside him, keeping a regular check through the small glass panel in the door to see if anyone was about to come in on them.

"It's not _too_ bad, honest." The Doctor gingerly touched the bump on the back of his head and regretted it immediately. It hurt like hell. The ache in his head hadn't abated since he'd come around. "It's distracting, but not life threatening."

"I believe you." The sarcasm obvious in her voice. "Because the last thing you want to do is submit yourself to medical tests with _me_!"

"Now you're getting it." He replied. "Nothing personal, but I don't like submitting myself to medical tests with _anyone_. "

"I have a fully stocked pharmacy that _Boots_ would kill to get their hands on." Claire pointed to the locked cabinets opposite the bed. "And I'm afraid of my life to treat you with any of them in case I do the wrong thing... That sedative I gave you back when… well, you know. It should have lasted no more than 2 hours. You were unconscious for over three."

"I never was one for following the norms." He found the soothing compress and reapplied it to his throbbing head.

"I've read all this information about you, and not one word is about how you should be treated medically..."

"What information?" The Doctor didn't like the sound of that.

"Torchwood has files on you going back to Victorian times. They showed me several pictures of people purporting to be The Doctor, and none of them looked like you... When I started here, I was quite the little zealot_. The Doctor must be stopped at all costs."_ She parrotted. "And they _loved_ me and the fact that I'd had contact with you. Gave me access to all sorts. All these plots and invasions making it sound like you were behind them. But you weren't were you? _You_ were the one stopping them, not Torchwood. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have seen that."

"Common sense seems to be in very short supply around here." The Doctor angrily shook his head.

"Of course I had already told them what I knew about your physiology and what you'd told David about regenerating." Claire stopped. "Oh God, David... I have no idea if he's okay or..."

"He's the Prime Minister's son. He's probably locked in with Harriet the secure room in Downing Street." The Doctor tried to reassure her. "Are you two..."

"No. I haven't seen or heard from him since." She smiled ruefully. "And I don't blame him. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with me either... But enough of me and my pity party. We have much bigger problems, namely getting you out of here."

"I got in easily enough, shouldn't be too much bother getting out." The Doctor grinned.

"Yeah, you'd think, wouldn't you." Claire said drily. _The arrogance! They mentioned _that_ in their bloody reports, alright!_ "After telling them that you had two hearts, they installed sensors all over the building. So unless you can miraculously transform yourself into a pregnant woman..."

"Then I'm not going anywhere soon." The Doctor pursed his lips. "Um… couldn't _you _be the pregnant woman… what with you being an actual woman, and all that?"

Claire shook her head. "I'm not on the list."

"The _list_?" The Doctor repeated incredulously. "You have to tell them you're pregnant, like some sort of Eastern European Olympic athlete village? And there was a _woman_ running this show? Welcome to the 1950'sHave a_ nice _repressive day!"

Claire ignored his tirade. "Because I'm the resident expert, I knew you'd end up with me eventually. I planned it all when they brought you in, unconscious." She explained. "I thought for sure your friend Rose would be caught too, or she'd try to rescue you and then because she wasn't on the list, we could pass _her_ off as the pregnant one..." she sighed. "I'm so sorry she didn't make it."

The Doctor wasn't going to start explaining that Rose wasn't dead, merely in an alternate dimension with no way of coming back. He hadn't come to terms with it himself yet. He certainly wasn't going to pour his hearts out to a woman who had recently tried to kill him, no matter how contrite she was now.

"It was a _massacre_ out there. Not just the soldiers either. Med staff, clerical, even the canteen staff... Some poor sod who _makes lunch_ wiped out because of Yvonne Hartman and her damn ghost shifts." Claire took a deep breath to calm herself. "You know what, this isn't helping anyone, least of all you. Fisher or Daniels could be back in at any minute and we need to be ready."

"Right." The Doctor put down the cold compress and swung his legs around to the side of the bed. "I'm ready to try this _standing up_ lark again." Claire stood by as he slowly got to his feet. He grinned proudly as he managed to remain upright. "See. _Easy peasy_! Now show me your medicine cabinet."

Claire took a small bunch of keys out of her pocket and opened it up to him. He scoured it in a matter of seconds and started grabbing supplies. "I'll have me some of that." He picked up 2 vials of liquid. "Some of that." A syringe with an ominously long needle. "Aaaaand… Yup, _definitely_ some of that!" He took a bottle of painkillers and knocked back two of the small tablets before pocketing the bottle. He turned to Claire. "Get gloved up, Dr Bailey. It's time to see how good you really are."

Claire took 2 latex gloves from a nearby box, as the Doctor sat back down on the bed. "What are you going to do?"

He undid his tie, stuffed it in one of the pockets of his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt. "Well, I'm going to lie back down and have a heart stopping experience that _you're_ going to administer."


	3. Chapter 3

"I thought the whole point of this exercise was for me to _not_ kill you!" Claire looked aghast at the vials The Doctor handed her. "Potassium chloride? _No_. Absolutely not!"

"You'll be using an extremely small amount, diluted by sterile water to temporarily stop one of my hearts." The Doctor explained. "I've survived for a while on one heart before. It's not pleasant, but it will get me past your sensors and back to my ship. And then I'll be out of your hair for good." He took the syringe out of its sterile packaging and broke the seal on the potassium chloride with the needle. He carefully drew a small amount from the vial and then topped it up by drawing a few more millilitres of the distilled, sterile water into it.

Claire went back to the cabinet and took some more supplies. She filled two further syringes. "One is adrenalin, the other is a sedative. If I think for one minute that this is going pear shaped, then I'm taking control." She looked at him, trying to fathom some sort of reaction, hoping he'd back down from such drastic action. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, looking at the long needle.

"Well… no, really, but it's the only way I'm going to get out of here." He lay down on the bed, his shirt and jacket falling open revealing his bare chest. Claire tried to hide a smile. "_What_?"

"Only for the fact that I've seen the scans, I'd have never believed there's two hearts in there. I've seen 12 year old girls with a bigger frame than you." The Doctor merely sighed, unamused. Claire couldn't believe she was trembling. Six months ago, an opportunity like this would have been like all her Christmases come together, now she was so afraid of hurting him… of killing him that she was beginning to doubt that she could bring herself to do it. "So, which heart do you want me to stop?"

"For no reason other than you're standing there, we'll do the left one." He put his left arm behind his head and tried to avoid thinking about what was to come.

Claire put on her stethoscope and listened to both heartbeats. Strong, and very fast. "Okay, I know your heartbeats and blood pressure are higher than mine would be, even so, your pulse is racing. Let me give you something to take the edge off, calm you down a bit."

He shook his head. "We don't have time for that. Both your colleagues have been gone _way_ too long and we need to have this done before they come back." She nodded and sat down. This was the Doctor's gig – his _heart_ – only fair that he be the one to give the orders. "I'll guide you through it… Right. Start over towards the side of my bottom rib and count up 5. Try not to tickle me as I'm quite sensitive!" He could feel Claire's fingers nervously dance up his ribcage. "Now take the big scary needle and jam it right in between the gap between my 5th and 6th ribs. Depress the plunger and be still my beating heart… _Simple_!"

Claire kept her finger on the point where she wanted to inject the potassium chloride into the Doctor's heart. She swabbed the area clean and then picked up the needle. "Fast or slow?"

He felt the fine point of the needle prick his skin. Bracing himself, the Doctor just said "Fast." And Claire obliged. The effect was immediate. His heart stalled, causing an incredible pain in his chest. Despite himself, he cried out. In the midst of the paralysing agony, he could hear Claire's voice calmly telling him he was hyperventilating and to breathe. Had he been able to, he would have screamed "_I _am_ breathing, you stupid bint_!" Somewhere along the way, The Doctor decided this was all too much for him and he passed out.

o0o

Judging from the pain levels in his head and chest, he hadn't been unconscious for too long. Long enough, though, for Claire to place an oxygen mask over his face to help regulate his breathing. She didn't attempt to stop him when he took the mask off and sat himself up. On the contrary, she adjusted the bed to keep him upright and then placed the stethoscope on The Doctor's chest. "One heartbeat, strong and steady."

"Oh that is not right." He grimaced. The sensation of just one heart felt odd in his chest.

"Do you want to try that _standing up lark_ again?" Claire asked.

Before the Doctor could answer, Captain Fisher entered. "I see the prisoner is finally up and about. I want him transferred downstairs immediately."

"You'll need to put him back in cuffs." Claire said without missing a beat. "Since he's come around he's been nothing but trouble. " She stepped aside to allow Fisher get near The Doctor.

"Good work, Dr Bailey." Fisher said taking out his handcuffs. With his back to her, Fisher didn't see Claire pick up the syringe containing the sedative. She stabbed the needle through his fatigues and into his arm. It worked fast, causing Fisher to slump forward onto the bed. The Doctor moved his legs to avoid being caught underneath him.

"Really good work, Dr Bailey." The Doctor frowned, looking at her. _That woman is far too trigger happy with a syringe! _

Claire scrunched her eyes closed. "And there goes my _stellar _career at Torchwood. We need to strip him and you put on his uniform. That way, It will be easier to smuggle you out."

Claire did the bulk of the work, due to the Doctor's incapacitation. They managed to get the jacket and trousers on over his suit as Fisher was a considerably bigger build than the Doctor and he wasn't leaving his suit behind for anyone! The trousers had a holstered gun clipped into it. He removed it, dangling it between his fingers, a look of disdain on his face. "I hate these things."

"Keep it. You may need it yet." Claire was dragging Fisher fully onto the bed, placing him in the same position the Doctor had been in – on his side with his hands cuffed around the railing. She covered him up to his chin with a sheet in an attempt to disguise who it was.

"Never in a million years!" The Doctor left the gun on Claire's stool, well out of Fisher's reach.

Claire peered out the door, checking that the coast was clear. They were at the bottom of a long straight corridor with several doors evenly spaced along the way down one side. "The lift is down the end and around the corner. " She explained as they both walked calmly out the door with Claire locking it behind her. The Doctor kept in by the wall, still feeling shaky from both the heart attack and the concussion (_It hasn't gone away, you know_ - pounding rhythmically in time with his one beating heart.). She kept a couple of paces behind him, regularly glancing back for any sign of trouble.

"We've passed one of the sensors already." She sighed, releasing the breath she didn't realise she was holding.

"See, " The Doctor said, his breathing a little more laboured than Claire would have liked. "My crazy little plan worked!"

"You're not out yet. There's still plenty that could go wrong."

In a classic case of _ask and ye shall receive_, they both froze when they heard Claire's name being called from behind them. Claire turned around. The Doctor didn't. It was Corporal Daniels.

"Claire, what's going on? You're not supposed to be out here."

"Danno, where have you been? Fisher's been looking for you." Claire bluffed. "I have to go down to Supplies, but if you head back to the canteen, he should be there by now."

"Nice to see they gave you an escort." Daniels pointed at the Doctor who was trying to obscure his face. "Contrary to popular belief, Claire, not all us grunts are as stupid as you think we are." He removed his hand gun and aimed at the Doctor.

Claire stepped between them, much to the loud protestations of both men. "I'm getting him out of here. If you want to stop him, then you shoot me first."

Daniels scoffed. "Claire, don't be so…"

"Ridiculous?" She cut him off. "Look around you, Danno. Where are the Cybermen? Where are those _Dalek_ things that were cutting down everyone in their path? They're gone because of _him."_ Claire pointed back to The Doctor who by now was leaning against the wall trying to keep his one remaining heartbeat steady. "You told me yourself when you brought him in. _Got right up in my face, cocky as you like, and told me he stopped them_. "

"I have my orders."

"Danno… _Gary_, he didn't cause what happened today. That was us. Torchwood and the ghost shifts." Claire went on. "Raj, Ben, Adi, George, Mel, Chris, Big Ollie, Paula… Ou_r friends_ all dead and not because of The Doctor. If you turn him over to the likes of Fisher, they'll cut him up. They'll hurt him without a second thought and he doesn't deserve it. Not after what he's just done. And even if he_ hadn't_ just saved the entire bloody planet, he still wouldn't deserve what goes on down in Research."

Daniels lowered his gun. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Walk away." Claire shrugged. She took a couple of steps backwards, still keeping herself between Daniels and the Doctor . "There's no sensors or alarms going off. You didn't see us. Get back to the canteen and make sure everyone's okay."

"What about you? You're taking a huge risk."

"Yeah… I am." Claire laughed at the incredulity of it all. "But I owe him." She took the Doctor's arm and began ushering him back with her, further away from Daniels. "And I'm going to make sure he's safe."

Daniels watched the two walk briskly away, but made no attempt to stop them. There'd probably be hell to pay all around when the dust settled, but he knew Claire was right.

The Doctor and Claire made it around the corner, out of Daniels' sight to the lift. Both glanced around nervously as they waited for it to come up to their floor.

"Are you sure he won't try to head you off at the pass?" The Doctor asked.

"This place is a cesspit of backstabbers and glory hunters, despite Yvonne Hartman and her _David Brent_ style of management, but Gary Daniels has always been one of the decent ones. He's a sound guy and that's why he's still only a corporal."

"You really don't like it here do you?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm adopting the Homer Simpson approach and slowly destroying this place from the inside." Claire said as the doors opened on the empty lift. "Finally!" She followed him in and slumped against the wall. "Hit L3. That will take us down to where your ship is."

"Thank you." The Doctor said quietly as the carriage descended. Claire simply nodded. The fact that he'd said it was more than enough for her. She hadn't expected it because after what she'd done to him, she didn't feel she deserved it.

The lift ground to a halt and the doors slid open. The Doctor's heart rate shot up as he had expected a heavily armed battalion to be waiting for them. But Claire had been right about Daniels and the large warehouse of alien artefacts was un manned. A broad smile appeared on the Doctor's face. He couldn't see the TARDIS, but instinctively knew where his beloved ship had been stored. Once again his heart began to race at the prospect of getting out of Torchwood. He should have known better and tried to remain calm, but his natural adrenalin levels soared causing the second heart to beat. The Doctor couldn't catch his breath. He dropped to his knees clutching his chest in as much pain as when Claire had stopped his heart earlier.

"What's wrong? " Claire hunkered down beside him. "What's happening?" When the Doctor couldn't speak, the high-pitched alarms answered for him. "Your other heart? It's beating again?" She grabbed him around the shoulders and helped him stand up. The Doctor had no option but to resist the urge to pass out again. He'd have to weather this with all senses painfully intact. Leaning heavily on Claire, he guided them to the TARDIS.

He rooted out his key from his breast pocket and put it in the door of the blue police box. As it opened, The Doctor looked at Claire with a pang of guilt. "You're going to be in a world of trouble now, aren't you?… And I can't believe I'm about to say this but, come with me. I can get you somewhere safe."

"No. I have to stay here and run damage limitation." Claire explained, glancing around to see if the cavalry were about to descend. "If we both disappear, I won't get to tell them whatreally happened."

The Doctor should have just raced into the TARDIS and got the hell out of there, but his curiosity got the better of him. "So, what _really_ happened?"

"Mind control. _He made me do it_." She said with a mischievous smile. The warehouse doors burst open behind them with heavily armed soldiers running in from all sides. "Now_ go_!"

Not needing to be told twice, The Doctor bolted in and shut the door. Leaning against it, he looked around the console room trying to gather his thoughts, debating with himself whether to go back and rescue Claire, but she had been adamant. He didn't think he'd actually make it up the ramp to the central console without collapsing, so he aimed his sonic screwdriver and sent the TARDIS into the vortex by remote, leaving Claire to her fate. But if he had learned one thing about her, Claire Bailey could look after herself. Clever, devious and resourceful… Except for the dodgy ethics and the whole torturing and trying to kill him thing, she'd have been a _brilliant_ companion…

_Bad thought._

The Doctor tried to put Rose out of his mind. He simply hadn't the capacity to deal with reality at the present time. Physically exhausted - and in a fair amount of pain, it had to be said – he slid down to the floor. His left heart was beating erratically, but the Doctor knew it would stabilise, given some time.

Who was he kidding? He'd have given anything for Rose to sit down beside him, and tell him to stop being such wuss. The emotions he'd been keeping such a tight lid on refused to be contained any more. He drew his knees up into his sore chest, put his head in his hands and wept.

o0o

He woke up, still in Fisher's borrowed fatigues and still on the floor by the entrance to the TARDIS. It hadn't been entirely uncomfortable, but given his present condition, he'd have happily rested on a bed of nails. Carefully staggering to his feet, The Doctor balanced himself. The central console was whirring and clicking, occasionally _dinging _in a flurry of activity. "What's up with you?" The Doctor asked, walking purposefully up the ramp. He checked over the readings. "No… _No!_" he exclaimed. "That can't be right… can it?" He checked over the data a further three times, scarcely allowing himself hope that they could be. "Oh yes it _can_!" He kissed the monitor. "You little beauty!". He threw off Fisher's bomber jacket. "Now where the hell am I going to find a power source _that _size?"

_Fin _


End file.
